Everybody loves a bulldozer. In fact, we all grew up loving bulldozers, didn't we? From Benny the Bulldozer to Katy and her big snow, from all the Tonka toys to all the die cast model Caterpillars, the bulldozer is more of an icon in American popular culture than we maybe realize.

But the first scholarly "biography of the bulldozer" argues that there's a darker side to the demolition and clearance that gives these big machines purpose. And then, maybe there is a certain violence inherent here too.

This hour, the history of bulldozing, the future of bulldozers, and a look at heavy construction equipment as adventure destination.

GUESTS:

Francesca Russell Ammon - Author of Bulldozer: Demolition and Clearance of the Postwar Landscape
Jason Anetsburger - Project manager for Komatsu America's Intelligent Machine Control line of bulldozers and excavators
Kate McMullan - Children's book author and executive producer of The Stinky and Dirty Show
Randy Stenger - Founder and CEO of Extreme Sandbox

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Colin McEnroe, Greg Hill, Alex Ingberg, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired April 21, 2016.

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Good bulldozer, bad bulldozer